Lancaster Commons Graduate Apartments

Lancaster Commons

Lancaster Commons, an off-campus apartment complex reserved entirely for Duke graduate and professional students, will begin accepting applications for the 2023-2024 academic year on March 27.

Located approximately 2.6 miles from Duke’s West Campus on 2709 Western Bypass, this apartment community is ideal for first-year graduate and professional students who are new to Durham.

  • Featuring unfurnished 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units
    • Rent rates for the 2023-2024 academic year include all utilities (electricity, water, internet, trash/recycling). See below for the costs that each student has paid in the past academic year. There is no application fee or security deposit. All utilities are included with no application fee or security deposit.
  • Below is the rent that each student will pay for 2023-2024.
    • 1-bedroom: $6,506 per semester ($1,301 per month)
    • 2-bedroom: $4,164 per semester ($833 per month)
    • 3-bedroom: $3,123 per semester ($625 per month)
  • Payments will be billed to students’ bursar accounts on a semesterly basis. The Bursar's office has an option for monthly billing (see information about that here). PhD students who receive a monthly stipend can have their rent deducted from their stipend each month.
  • Priority applications for first-year international graduate or professional students who are new to Durham, NC.
  • Complimentary parking on site
  • Duke Transportation bus route direct to West Campus. Also within the Duke Vans service area.
  • Pets are not allowed at Lancaster Commons, except for registered service animals.
  • Lancaster Commons is only available for currently enrolled graduate and professional students and their partners/spouses/family members. (Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate postdocs or visiting scholars.)
  • Elevators are present at all buildings in Lancaster North (2703, 2705, 2707, 2711, 2713). 
  • Elevators are not available in Lancaster South (2721, 2723, 2725, 2727), which houses only 1-bedroom apartments.

Application Timeline

How to apply:

The priority application period for Lancaster Commons is from March 27 – April 17. The application will be accessible through the Lancaster Commons Graduate Housing page. Students who apply within this timeframe will learn the status of their application the week of April 17.

Lease Terms: Students can apply for 10-month or 12-month leases to begin August 1, 2023 and go through either May 31, 2024 or July 31, 2024. A limited number of 5-month leases will be available for students who are only here for the Fall 2023 semester.

For returning students: Returning students who apply to live at Lancaster Commons will be placed on a waiting list. Applications for returning students will be available starting March 27.

Please note: Once students receive their housing assignment via their Duke email, they will have one week to confirm or cancel their assignment. If Duke receives no communication from the student, the housing assignment will be automatically canceled.

Roommates: We highly recommend that you find a roommate prior to applying to live at Lancaster Commons. Many programs have Facebook Groups, GroupMe’s, or other forums in which entering students can find a roommate. If you are not coming in with a roommate, we will do our best to place you according to the preferences you indicate in your application.

For questions about leases, roommates, move-in dates, pets, etc. please contact offcampus@duke.edu.

For questions about floor plans and apartment details, please contact lancaster@ticonproperties.com.